02 September 2007

Twenty Days of Ice Cream: The Roundup

Twenty days of ice cream. Somewhere in mid July, I thought wouldn't it be fun to make a bunch of homemade ice creams and post them on the blog. I had no idea it would grow into a challenge consisting of twenty consecutive days of ice cream posts a lot of churning, a few meltdowns, and some truly delicious ice cream flavors. Though I may have cursed myself several times during the process (ok, almost every day) I've really enjoyed being able to explore one genre in depth. I've learned that homemade ice cream making is really quite easy and very fun. Once you've got the basics down (making a custard, and being sure to chill it thoroughly), you can let your imagination run wild. Here are some ideas for people wanting to experiment with creating their own ice cream flavors:

1. Infusions- Start with your favorite basic ice cream recipe (I recommend this one). Now think about what you can infuse the milk/cream with. Spices, like cinnamon, anise, curry, Chinese five spice? Herbs- fresh mint, lemon verbena, basil? Or what about teas- jasmine tea, earl grey, or chai. Also, nuts can be roughly ground, used to infuse the custard and then strained out- hazelnuts, almonds, pinenuts, even sesame seeds.

2. Think beyond the usual dairy- mascarpone, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, even cheeses like goat cheese or pecorino can be good in ice cream.

3. Alcohol and liquers- because alcohol reduces the freezing point, it does double duty to keep homemade ice cream soft in the freezer. Bailey's, Kahlua, Riesling, Margarita, or Vin Santo are some good ideas.

Someone recently asked what my favorite flavor was from this recent project, and I started out saying beet (yes, really), and then of course the olive oil, and there is that grapefruit, and before I knew it, I'd practically listed them all. So choose for yourself, I present to you the ice creams, in alphabetical order:

Believe it or not, I've got ideas for many, many more flavors, and there are lots of good looking recipes floating around that I've got my eye on. I have a feeling ice cream making is going to be a part of my regular repertoire (and if you've got recommendations, please send them this way). But for now, I'll be happy to take a very long rest from churning. Thanks for tuning in.

28 comments:

I have enjoyed watching the many kinds of ice cream you have made.Did it give me ideas oh yes!Need to get an ice cream maker first tho LOL.I think it will be on my Xmas wish list,thanks it was fun to see what you made!

Mercedes, I'm so impressed that you managed to post every day for 21 days in a row, I can't get over it. And since I love ice cream with a pure and undying love, I'm keeping a bunch of your recipes on file.I'm just curious, have you decided not to be a Daring Baker anymore?

Mercedes, you should seriously consider writing a book. Your writing style and the way you incorporate "your story" into the development of your recipe and food adventures is captivating. It is a project I'd be excited to serve as an editor should you ever decide to undertake it :D I'm an editor and network admin. for a cultural magazine at Berkeley (based in Cal, but submissions are open to anyone). When we unveil our theme for our next magazine on 9/20, I'll send you our call for submissions and hopefully you will be interested in submitting :)

Congratulations on 21 VERY dedicated days to the cool, whimsical sweet treat that is ice cream! It's been a (guilty?) pleasure ;)

Everyday I have tuned in for your new flavor! Congrats on making it through it all. It has been mouth watering, and there are so many that I would love to try myself...especially the olive oil one! I have told my husband that for next summer I NEED an ice cream maker...there better be one under the tree Christmas morning ;)

A fellow ice cream lover! Come visit my blog for some other creative frozen creations. I just made a batch of honey yogurt ice cream. Yesterday, I made butterscotch and walnut. I'll have to try one of your recipes.

Rosemary- thanks, I'm glad to have spurred some ideas. I do hope you get that ice cream maker (you can get a good one for not too much), and in the meantime, David Lebovitz's site has good directions for making ice cream without a machine.

Meander- thanks- trust me, the low calories version is much friendlier to the waistline!

Vee- ah, sorry, I've now put a link in the post on how to infuse things. Basically heat the chai (I'd use 1-2 tbl) with the milk until just simmering. Set aside to steep for 10-15 mnutes, then strain out the chai, and use the milk in the recipe as directed.

hilda- thanks, glad to hear someone else loves ice cream as much as I do!

Tammy- ha, I hope things will slow down around here now that the challenge is over!

Krizia- what an amazingly flattering compliment. I love cooking and writing, but I've got a whole other career to worry about, so you can imagine it's a balancing act!

jep, rosehaven- thanks, I liked all the colors in the photos.

christy- i hope you get that ice cream maker, but in the meantime, if you really want to try the olive oil (which I highly recommend), you can try doing it without a machine. Just put the custard in the freezer and beat vigorously (or blend with an immersion blender) every twenty minutes until it reaches the right consistency.

sandi- thanks!

bri- ah, I have beets growing in the garden too! Except, if I don't re-pot them soon they'll be the size of peas. I do hope you try the beet ice cream though, many people are skeptical, but I haven't had a single person try it and not like it!

Luisa- seriously, it's so hard to choose! I think I'd say beet, because I'd never had it before and I really, really love it. I think olive oil and grapefruit are close runners up. I also have to say the salted butter caramel (david's recipe) is still one of my all-time faves.

Hi Mercedes. I just found your blog through Jumbo Empenadas. I wish I had found you sooner. Your ice creams and pictures are amazing. I recently made an ice cream using David Lebovitz as a guideline. It's tough enough for me to make one batch of ice cream, I can't imagine doing it for 20 days!

i tried an ice cream made of ashta in damascus this winter and it was delicious!! i wonder if it's possible to use goat milk to make ice cream or whether it would require a dairy product with more fat content? the flavor should be interesting though, don't you think?

I've only just stumbled on to this blog, and I love it! This has given me even more ideas for different ice cream flavors to try! I love ice cream and Middle Eastern food, so I've enjoyed your posts. Thank you for posting!